APPLAUSE: Australian Greens Senators react after the passing of the Medivac Bill in the Senate chamber at Parliament House in Canberra, on Wednesday.AAP/LUKAS COCH

Politics

Crazy times in Canberra

by Paul Murray

16th Feb 2019 6:00 AM
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WE SAW the best and worst of Parliament this week.

A champion for the people gave his final speech, blood got smeared on a door, and the left cheered when they smugly weakened our borders.

First, the good.

John Williams is a Nationals Senator who has championed the little guy for 11 years in the Upper House.

Way before Labor jumped on the bandwagon, this honest and decent man championed a Royal Commission into the banks and even voted against his party to try and make one happen four years ago.

Today, a lot of politicians talk a big game about taking on the establishment and biting the party hand that feeds them, but 'Wacka' is the real deal.

His career probably suffered, but he never forgot the reason we have a parliament, to represent the people.

His particular focus was the little people dudded by big business and an undying love of the bush.

Our parliament is the poorer for his retirement.

But unlike most who go to Canberra, he made Australia a better place for his service.

Now, the bad, and there was plenty of it this week.

I have a simple rule to understand if something is right or wrong: if The Greens are cheering, then we have done the wrong thing.

This week The Greens cheered in the Senate as Labor decided to empower them and other political opportunists who claim their compassion trumps Australia's right to defend our borders.

They originally claimed they wanted to get the kids off Nauru, but that wasn't true.

Children were used as pawns to get to the real game, getting hundreds of single men who have failed every possible test to be declared refugees to Australia.

They have used the cloak of illness to get them on to Australian soil, where suddenly their legal status changes and there's an industry of people who prolong that process.

The justification for the change was that the men have been there for too long. But that was the whole point.

They chose to be there, either by paying to get on a boat in the first place or refusing the offers to go to places like the United States.

Now, no matter what Bill Shorten says, we know how long the stopover for the next boat to arrive is, five years.

Without doubt, the lowest point of the week was United Australia Party Senator Brian Burston apologising for smearing blood on the door of Pauline Hanson's office.

There is huge ill feeling between the two and things got out of hand this week; from statements in the Senate, claims in the papers and scuffle in Canberra with a staff member of Burston's former party.

But to smear blood on someone's door is outrageous.

Finally, a ray of hope.

I commend Prime Minister Scott Morrison for his idea to wave HECS debts for anyone who becomes a teacher in remote Australia after they leave university.

It was a practical idea to strengthen those schools and to give local students young teachers full of energy and passion for education.

If this helps more children stay in school, then at least something good came out of a wild week.